Rue's Story
by Rueflower7
Summary: Before I can even hear my last name announced, I fall to my knees and clasp my hands to my head. Right now, I don't care who is watching me, My tears should be pooling on the ground but I must be brave.. Rue's side of The Hunger Games story and the life she left behind. She had hope but it wasn't enough to return her to her family. Also first fanfiction ever - please R&R!
1. Chapter 1 - Beginning

**Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to The Hunger Games or any characters and/or terms mentioned, I only own the characters I will invent.**

**This is my first fanfiction so please tell me if you like it!**

"I sit by an open window and fasten a white flower into my long brown hair. Wispy strands falling loose from my tightly done plaits onto my face, blowing in the dusty wind, then resting just above my forehead. My specially done hair must look awful by now, for I have been watching out of the window for over an hour. Nothing has passed yet, only leaves from the oaks and stray berries from the carts. I shiver as I continue to stare into the cold, darkness of District Eleven as I spot a glimpse of a peacekeeper, his white suit and darkened helmet remind me of the dreadful occasions where people are dragged off every year, begging on there knees to be allowed to stay with their families. Even the older ones never fail to have tears streaming down their faces as they enter the Justice Building and I don't blame them for so far, there hasn't been a victor from our district for over thirty years. I would hate to be chosen for The Hunger Games and it would ruin my family after already having lost so much to The capitol, but there is hardly any chance that I can get chosen even though my name has gone in a vast number of times.

Mother assured me that there is no chance I will be chosen as I am only twelve and twelve year olds are barely ever chosen but she is reassuring herself more than me because I don't think she could survive without me. She is pale and too thin but living here doesn't really help, she can't go outside too often because it makes her cry to remember how she used to be.

They have always scared me, ever since elder my sister Tansy entered the games. I was only eight when it happened and couldn't bare to let her go, I cried for months and so did mother even though I didn't understand what was going on. It must have been even harder for mother after losing our father too- father  
He would carry me on his shoulders above everything else and I would feel like queen of Panem, I loved his strong, caring face, his green eyes like mine and especially the way he never got angry, even when me and Tansy were naughty as children and would sneak berries for our selves and hide them in our pinafores before tucking in to the sweet fruits late at night. This was her room too and sometimes I can even smell her in the room, of course, if I ever told mother that she would burst in to tears and send me away in disgrace. At first I didn't understand why mother would send me away, but now I realise the pain afflicted upon her losing two loved ones must be unbearable, just as it is for me when I picture father's face on the front seat of the berry carts in the morning when I go to work on the fields, and when I find one of Tansy's hairpins or dresses stuffed behind a cupboard. Forgotten, just like Tansy was from the rest of Panem,"OHHHH! AND THERE GOES THE TRIBUTE FROM DISTRICT ELEVEN TO THE DISTRICT ONE CAREER AZURE, OH I'M TELLING YOU PANEM THAT REALLY WAS A SOFT KILL AND WHAT A DISAPPOINTMENT FOR HER FAMILY AND-"

Mother had dragged me away from the public screen and into the house where she locked herself in her bedroom and cried her eyes out like a child. I would have done the same, but I couldn't quite grasp the fact that she was gone. My own sister whom I loved had just been torn to pieces by someone only a few years older than her. It still pains me to think of it, as much as it pains me to think of my father. He was shot in front of me at a public execution but I still do not know what for, all I know is that kneeling on his deathbed he shouted one thing and those words shall ever be engraved into my mind-

"THE MOCKINGJAY SHALL RISE AND THE HUNGER GAMES SHALL BE DESTROYED!"

He then whistled a short four note tune and the mockingjays circled him from above and sang the tune back. Later, I could not bare to go back to the house, and so I ran out onto the fields screaming and thrashing my arms in the air, but still, I did not cry. I was only six but already knew my way up and down the trees, so I scrambled up frantically and called out to the birds. And they replied.  
I have climbed trees everyday since I was hardly able to toddle around the house. Father would out me on a branch a little way off the ground and I would reach my chubby arms up to the skies, laughing my head off and he would laugh too. I went today, up to the highest branches and picked berries for the local farmers to sell. They would take great pleasure in giving me small amounts of money for the juicy berries I'd have in my pockets, but that's not the reason that I do go up into the trees, I go up to hear the birds sing. I call to them and then they call back to me, always singing the same sweet melody they sang to my father that dreadful day.

A mirror is on the other side of the room, I turn to see the mirror and glance into its dusty, cracked glass at my reflection. As I see myself for the first time in years, I do not see a girl who turned twelve last winter, but a small, frail child in a huge, lumpy dress The sleeves are too long, the collar looks square and awkward and the skirt is itchy and uncomfortable. Tansy wore this dress at her reaping and my mother at hers, there is one faded photograph of my mother wearing it, she looks young and beautiful in it but now, her face has aged and is covered with wrinkles and permanent tear marks stain her skin. Her ocean blues eyes though, remind me of Tansy. She was the pretty one and I was the scrawny one who climbed the trees and got all muddy, Tansy was bad sometimes but never got into trouble like I did but still I can picture her loving face that I will never see again. Unless I am chosen for The Games.  
I glance at myself a while longer, before slowly walking down the creaky stairs to see my mother, but when I reach for the door handle I hear desperate sobs,

"OH MY DEAR HUSBAND WHY DID WE HAVE CHILDREN WHEN WE KNEW THEY WOULD BE KILLED! I HATE THEM! I HATE THEM ALL AND YOU LEFT ME!"

She then falls back to quiet sobbing and I walk away from the door. But this time I do cry.

**Hi everyone!**  
**Thanks for reading I hope that you enjoyed the first chapter of Rue's story and I'll try to upload the next one in a day or two,Please review, it means so much to me as I am very new to writing fanfictions so I would really like to know what you think of my writing Rueflower7 xx**


	2. Chapter 2 - Willow

As I continue to walk down the hallway, my knees shake with fear, in less than an hour, I could be stolen away from my district, stolen away from my family and forced to murder other innocent children. It seems so unlikely I will be chosen as I cannot imagine myself in the arena or even anywhere outside of my district.

If I were chosen, I wouldn't dream of making any kills myself, I know that children in the richer districts take great pride and joy in murdering people, but for me, it seems an awful thing to do. I would hide up in the trees eating berries and waiting for it all to be over, I would help people in need for I know many secrets of nature and I would run because I am fast. If they can't catch me, they can't kill me...

Tansy used to walk me to school, she would hold my hand across filthy plains and mud tracks for deporting goods to The Capitol and stay with me until we reached the small forgotten building. Schooling is not our main priority here in Eleven, we mainly focus on staying alive for as long as we can which is why I was forced to leave school after father and Tansy. I loved school, I would learn and play with the other children on the field at break and wait for Tansy to collect me from her junior building. My teacher, I think, was impressed that I had learnt so much by the young age I left at. I was sad to leave when Tansy died.

After that, I spent my time mostly up in the trees, singing and picking berries, but then mother got a dreadful disease and I had to stay at home and help her to do everything. I will never forget bathing her and brushing her hair as she coughed and spluttered blood all over the room. I had to cook and clean up blood and vomit and I was surprised I didn't catch it myself. I cried every single night when I could hear Mother's pain.

She would have died if Juniper hadn't created a remedy to save he life. Juniper is the oldest person that I have ever known, she used to tell me stories about before the hunger games was created and of the peace before the war. She would also tell me about her son who was lost to the games not long ago, how he was engaged to a beautiful woman and was expecting a son in a few months time. She was heart-broken when he was chosen, but now she cares for his son, her grandson. Thresh. I never really knew Thresh until I met Juniper, he was a giant for his age and never really spoke. Juniper loved him more than anybody else in the world, if something happened to Thresh, I don't know what she'd do.

Every year they have arrived, the two wooden boxes with engraved names and the Capitol's symbol on the back. This reminds us that The Capitol are the real murderers here and not the districts. Funerals are officially only for family and close friends, but I have already been to many in my lifetime and to think that I could soon be in one of them, buried under the ground on Hydrangea Plain where the Mockingjays are too sad to sing.

It's strange, I am not scared for my own life, but for my family's. My sister Willow especially for she is only young. Willow was born soon after Tansy died and just before father died, I loved Willow from the moment she was born and I still love her now. Mother had much pain when she gave birth to Willow and Juniper almost couldn't save her, luckily though, she did.

We always play together, me and Willow, she loves it when I take her arms and spin her around in the long grass of our small free fields that are not taken up by farmers, before falling down and giggling with happiness. I gave her a necklace once when we fell down finally, one with a beautiful Willow fairy engraved onto the silver. It is the most beautiful item to have ever been in our house, or even our District apart from in the mayor's house and she was so happy when I did give it to her. We would then find pretty stones and flowers to make a circle for the fairies to visit, I did enjoy the art of this, but I most of all loved the look on her face when it was done. Her eyes would light up in the sunlight and her little pink mouth wold melt into a beautiful little smile, a happy memory that I can cherish forever. Even if I end up in The Hunger Games.

"Rue!" I hear her lisping voice and the pitapatting of her feet as she runs down the hallway to great me, "Rue!" she shouts excitedly, "I found a mouse in the fields and it followed me home, can we please keep it Rue please," I calmly reach to her pocket and pull out the little white mouse. I glance at Willow to see that she is wearing her necklace, I smile and try not to cry.

"Ok Willow," I declare, her face lights up with excitement, "What will you call her?" I ask as I search for a box to keep him in,

"I think I'll call her-"

Suddenly, all is silent as I hear the warning bell chiming from the Justice building loud and clear, "I have to go now Willow," and then I hug her and she hugs me back, now it is time. I hurry outside and once again wash my face in the small basin before leaving the house and walking along the path,

"Rue wait," I hear my mother's calming voice and rush to hug her, tears are falling from her reddened eyes once again, but with a raspy voice she can still tell me, "Be strong my flower, be strong," and then rushes back to the house crying and I now am crying too, what will happen to me, what will happen if I am chosen for the games, what will happen to them all? The last thing I hear before I leave is,

"I'll call my mouse Rue, for you," her voice is clear and makes her sound older than I know she is. With that, I turn and exit for what I hope will not be the last time.

I can hope.

**Hello!**

**I didn't expect to publish this so soon but here it is, chapter three will be available soon I hope!**

**Rueflower7**


	3. Chapter 3 - Death Sentence

It usually takes me five minutes to reach the town square from our house but I try to savour the walk as I am now walking through what I have called my home for so many years for what could be the last time. It seems different today, for peacekeepers are patrolling every street and direct everybody in the same direction. It seems like we are a pack, all walking to the same place, all feeling the same terror inside us and all just here because we are made to. That is one thing that I hate about the games and The Capitol, ever since hearing Juniper's tale of her son in the games, his heart wrenching end with the stab of the career's sword and how The Capitol overtook Panem and made it what it is today, a controlled, prison-like environment. We have no freedom and never shall, people have tried to change things for years on end but it always ends with a single gunshot. Although I know that it is forbidden, I would like to make a difference someday, someday I want to change something about Panem. Someday.

Now, of course is no time to be thinking about that for I am next in line to be let into the square. The square is usually empty for the rest of the year, but now it scares me to think that that place could be where I am put to certain death. The peacekeeper jabs the metal tool into my finger and I obediently press it against the paper, I feel a sharp pain when I release my finger but not all because of the pain. It means that I am one step closer to my fate, and I pray that the odds will be in my favour. I then follow the other girls my age to the front of the crowd. They all wear the same terrified expression on their faces. My heart is pounding and I want to scream and cry, but I don't. I just stand there and although I am not far from the front, many heads in front of me block my view of the podium. All I can see is the bright blue hair of the Capitolised woman conducting the reaping. I imagine that she is enjoying every single moment of this and shall continue to even after District Eleven's tributes have had their pictures projected in the sky. That's just what The Capitol are like.

Thirteen. Thirteen times has my name been put into the pot increasing my chance of being picked by much more than someone of my age should have. I had no choice but to get tesserae, my family would have died without the extra grain. Everything I do is to to save my poor family. To save Willow. I hear the sound of the escort's heels striding up to the platform and try to recall her name. This Games escort has most probably been reaping tributes from Eleven for years, they never seem to change. I remember Tansy telling me all about The Capitol, she said that they were heartless people who cared for nothing more than looks and The Hunger Games, which was their favourite source of entertainment. She told me all about Cæsar Flickerman and his different array of wigs and coloured suits, a different one for every Games; she told me how people would bet on who would win The Hunger Games, throwing money away carelessly for fun; and she told me how they didn't care what happened in the Districts at all, even if we were all dying. Sometimes I really think that we are.

Welcome! welcome! Her voice is sickly sweet and I can't bare to listen to her as she recounts last year's Games. A tall girl in front of me falls to her knees in fright so I can now see the podium. Her dress is blue to match her hair, it is not the greyish blue colour of my dress, but more the glowing ocean blue of The Capitol. I feel sick purely at the sight of her. Eventually, she walks over to the large container and spins the white paper around inside. I am shaking more than ever before as she reaches her pale hand inside to pick out a name. She moves her fingers around the container before resting her neon purple nails on one slip of paper. Then loudly and clearly she reads out the name with her Capitol accent, at first I hear nothing but then I hear one word and nothing more,

"Rue-"

Before I can even hear my last name announced, I fall to my knees and clasp my hands to my head. Right now, I don't care who is watching me, My tears should be pooling on the ground but I must be brave, strong. Like my mother said. Hundreds of pairs of eyes fall on to me as I find my way through the crowd of children and approach the podium, Peacekeeper on either side of me. I imagine Willow watching me in The Games, her eyes filled with terror and pain, my mother will be in anguish to lose yet again another child to them, for there is no chance of my survival. I feel cold and begin to shiver in my cotton dress and I almost slip on a patch of ice. Luckily, I regain my balance and continue to the podium. Her hand is cold and hard as I shake it and she congratulates me for being chosen. I am barely paying attention to her words as I look out to the crowd, my vision is suddenly blurred with tears so I stand aside and continue to watch The Reaping. Poor mother, she won't even know for another few minutes about my terrible luck. The mayor looks ashamed, as do all the other district officials for a twelve year old has been chosen for the games and in Eleven, that can break the hearts of many. She then proceeds to the boys' container, again carefully fingering the pieces of paper before choosing one and opening it,

"Aspen Forther,"

At first I fail to recognise the scrawny looking tribute glumly pacing towards the podium. But then I realise that he does look familiar. he lives with Thresh and Juniper and is often ploughing the fields near where I sell my berries. He is only twelve I remember but has been properly working for many years. He looks ill and frail and always has I remember that Aspen does has an illness, an illness that cannot be cured even by Juniper's strongest remedies. Juniper will be devastated. Many whispers are scattered around about the terrible odds of District Eleven this year but just as Aspen finally reaches the platform,

"I volunteer!"

Eyes turn to where the sound is coming from and I recognise Thresh as he charges down the isle and up to the podium, everyone is taken for words as Aspen slides back into the crowd and Thresh stands in his place. _Poor Juniper. _I think,

"Oh how wonderful, a volunteer!," she exclaims clapping her hands excitedly unlike the rest of the District who look as grief-stricken and lost as usual,

" Now what is your name?"

"Thresh," he tells her and reaches forth to shake my hand. I shakily accept and I feel helplessness like I have never done before. A single tear rolls down my cheek, but that is enough to send many others to tears,

"Then I can proudly present the tributes from District Eleven for The 74th Annual Hunger Games, Thresh and Rue!"

And with that I am dragged away to the Justice building to await my death sentence.

Thank for reading and please review and follow!

Rueflower7


	4. Chapter 4 - Goodbye District Eleven

**I do not own Hunger Games, only the characters that I have invented.**

The peacekeepers lead me up the stone stairs of the Justice building and through a large wooden door to a large room decorated with nothing but two leather chairs with purple cushions and a table with a vase of white roses on top of it. I sit down on one of the chairs and quickly undo the plaits in my hair. Tears begin to spring from my eyes and I bring my knees to my chest, awaiting the peacekeepers. Nothing in the room reflects District Eleven one bit, it all reflects the Capitol and Snow himself. Are they trying to take us away our Districts before we've even left? I imagine the train with the escort, mentor, Thresh. None of them shall even try to help me win for they know that a tribute as young as me has no chance. I notice a bowl of fresh fruit next to the flowers, much fresher than anything we are given in Eleven, for although we provide the crops for all of Panem, but barely any we can keep for ourselves. I do consider it, eating a ripened apple, or a succulent orange, but taking the fruit would be out of the question... How could this have happened? How could I have been chosen for The Hunger Games when my family needs me so much? They won't be able to survive and Willow won't be able to earn money for years and by then she'll be eligible for Reaping and ... I have to remain calm, throughout this whole experience I can't let my nerves get the best of me otherwise I'll die for certain.

Things have changed so much since this morning when I was calmly waiting for this to begin. Then, I had no idea that I would be Reaped, no idea that Thresh would volunteer no idea that I would have to leave District Eleven forever. District Eleven has been my home since I was born but it has never acted as a home to me. If the Capitol wasn't in power, then maybe my family would have had a chance at a better life here and maybe one day, it could be the home mother and Willow deserve.

After a while, I hear three knocks quietly on the door and almost immediately, my mother bursts into the room and throws her arms around me in a desperate

way,

"Oh Rue!" she cries, her eyes welling up with painful gasps and tears, "Why did it have to be you, it could have been anyone else but it to be you my flower! Oh Rue I shall miss you so much"

"Calm down," I tell her, desperately trying to her a scrap of hope, "I can win this, just believe in me please!" she pulls back and stares at me, her eyes now stronger and for the first time since father died, she seems almost capable to look after Willow and for a second, her eyes light up for she is almost happy for me. Even though she knows that this is the last time she will ever see me. She believes. Now I am crying too for there is no way to hold back my tears and she hugs me again, before a peacekeeper enters the room and pulls her away,

"Stay safe! stay strong! you'll survive! I am certain my sweet flower!"

I am sure that I can still hear her pleads and cries outside of the door as she leaves me unwillingly. Forever. As I return to the seat, Willow bursts into the room,

"Rue, where are you going?"

Her voice is soft, sweet and she is scared, I can see it in her eyes,

"Willow! Oh Willow I'll miss you so much! Willow, I have to go for a while but I promise I'll come back for you someday. Don't forget me Willow,"

She stares at me for a moment, her pale face is sad and he blue eyes are filled with tears,

"I got you a present,"

She places a small silver chain into my palm and i stare at it, suddenly I realise,

"Willow, your necklace?"

"Yes, for luck," she tells me.

I take her tiny hands and look at her, a sad smile is brought to my face and I wipe a tear from my eye. Her hair is tossed messily around her face, her dress is colourful with patchwork and string and she just looks so free. I hope that one day she will be free and I hope that Willow shall never have to be reaped and that she won't have to live her childhood in fear of death. I can't hope for anything anymore, there is no hope in Panem,

"Willow,"

I am crying now and so is she, I hug her tight and wipe her eyes,

"'You have to go now, I'm going to miss you so much,"

I see a peacekeeper at the door and gently let go of her frail hands. She runs away slowly and her necklace remains in my sweaty palm, the silver emblem casting light towards the door in the tint of sunlight through the shutters on the large window. It is now only a matter of time before I am taken to the platform to board the train that will take me from my district forever. I must stop thinking about it like that, I promised Willow that I would come back to her and I will, for she is my sister and I cannot break that promise. I must win The Hunger Games for Willow.

Suddenly, the door again creaks open but it is not a peacekeeper who walks in. It is Juniper,

"Rue my dear!" she cries and rushes towards me. She takes my hands,

"Oh Rue dear, do not be afraid, Thresh shall look after you he shall help you through this oh-"

"It's ok Juniper, I'm sorry you have to lose Thresh,"

"Don't worry about me, I shall be fine," her eyes are teary and her face seems even older with the sadness in her heart,

"You can change Panem for me Rue change it to what it was before,"

With that she leaves me, confused and scared. What does she mean Thresh will help me, he always seemed so sad and lonely. I guess I'll find out soon. This time when the door opens, it is two peacekeepers walking into the room, they escort me from the Justice building and I feel so frail. It is beyond terrifying as I enter the station and see my family behind the bars on the platform to separate us forever. I feel like crying now, but I can't. I look at mother and Willow and step onto the train remembering their saddened faces clearly. I clench the necklace in my hand and the train begins to move slowly. I feel my heart has been torn in half forever as I finally say Goodbye to District Eleven.

**Thank you for reading please review!**


	5. Chapter 5 - Train Ride To My Fate

At first I just stand there, staring at the many different jewels and relics displayed on the train. There is a golden chandelier, a parade of velvet purple chairs and tables filled with amazing, delicious looking food. I approach the food table and glance down at the various fruits, pies, breads, stews and food that I have never before seen in my life! I then turn to the pictures on the walls of the train, just the traditional Capitol pictures you see now, President Snow, The Hunger Games Arenas and District Thirteen... My father once told me about District Thirteen, how it was torn apart by the Capitol's bombs in result of The Uprising 74 years ago,

"It was not our fault Rue," he had told me,

"The Capitol were just too powerful then and nobody ever stood up to them after what they did to those people who only wanted freedom!"

My mother was often worried about my father's political beliefs...

"You are nothing but a farmer in the fields of our District, what right do people like us have to the people up there in The Capitol, it will wnever happen and you will get in much trouble if they find out about you!"

"If it means equality, then I will survive...

I had watched my mother and father have that conversation, from the top of the staircase, before Willow was even born. I had never seen father so upset, he truly believed in what he thought was right...

"Ah Rue my dear, I have been looking for you everywhere, it's time to come and meet your mentors." My escort, Leto, I think her name is, beckons me towards the next carriage. I know better than to refuse this awful woman and follow her. She has changed outfits since we arrived on the train, now she is wearing a lilac dress lined with gold string and green feathers, her wig has also changed, now it is a bright green with silver stripes. I have never seen that colour before and I never wish to see it again. Unlikely, for soon I'll be in The Capitol. In the next carriage there is a large dinner table with four places set out, Thresh is at one end, our mentors sit opposite each other and there is one place at the end for me. I quietly sit down, trying to look strong, I don't think I'm doing a very good job...

"So Rue, my name is Chaff and this is Seeder, we will be your mentors this year," I recognise them both from previous games and think hoe difficult it must be for them, every single year they mentor children who have no chance of survival in the games, children who usually die in The Bloodbath. Thresh has a good chance of winning the games, he is really tall and one of the strongest farmers on the fields, Chaff seems to have picked that up already. I suppose that they have already spent time talking to him about strengths and weaknesses. I smile slightly at them before returning to my food,

"What are your strengths and weaknesses, Rue," Seeder looks at me and I can see hurt in her eyes, perhaps I remind her of a lost sibling, or a tribute she killed once in The Arena,

"Well, my strengths are that I know about plants, I can climb trees, I can use a slingshot and I am very fast, my weaknesses are that I am small and haven't tried using most weapons," it feels weird to say this to them but I still try to sound stronger than I feel,

"Good," she says, "We can work with that," she smiles at me, she seems nice.

"Now Rue," Chaff sounds very sure at what he is saying,

"We want to make you appear small and weak, but not too weak before the games, Thresh you need to be strong, but mysterious. Rue, you also need to be very quiet," I do not protest to this, but I know that they do not believe I can win or even close to winning, so that's why I have to act so weak, because I am. Maybe I could prove them wrong... but I doubt it...

I finish eating my dinner, delicious pasta with a meaty sauce and a sweet tart with cream and go to my bedroom chamber. It takes me a while to find it but once I do, I can't help but lie straight down on the mattress and cry. There are many pillows and covers on the bed, but it feels really uncomfortable compared to my tiny one back in Eleven. I feel so far away from there now, what will mother and Willow be doing right now? Will they be able to cope alone? Will they be able to cope watching the games at all this year? I suppose I'll never know...

I must have fallen asleep eventually for when I open my eyes, the sunlight is gleaming brightly through the window. At first, I think that I am back a home with mother and Willow, but then I gather my surroundings and remember the train. I quickly dress and leave my bed chamber. I walk to breakfast slowly but still arrive before Thresh who must have slept in. There are too many foods to choose from when I reach the table, but end up just wanting to eat a slice of lightly buttered toast. That is all my stomach can manage, but I have to prepare for The Games, so I force myself to eat more. After breakfast is done, I meet Thresh in the hallway,

"Hi," I say, unsure what I _should_ say to him,

"Hi," he says, we stare at each other for a second, "I'm sorry Rue, that you were chosen. It's not right,"

"Thanks," I tell him, he continues to walk and I walk the other way to explore the train. The carriages seem endless but eventually, I reach the one second to the front. I hesitate when I reach the doorway between the second and first, for Chaff and Seeder are talking. Talking about me,

"She'll never survive, not even a day in The Arena," Chaff sounds angry and Seeder looks upset,

"We have to at least let her try... she could surprise us!" Seeder tries to sound hopeful but still seems scared,

"I doubt it," Chaff retorts, "She will never be worth anything in these games and it will be no time at all before the other tributes figure that out too!"

"Hope Chaff. Hope!" with that she turns away angrily and walks towards me but I quickly hide from sight. Is that really what I am? Just a tiny child who can't have a chance at The Games? I stare sadly out of the window and see the vast countryside before my eyes and then I see a bundle of light and grey buildings at the end of the road. We have reached the Capitol and the train ride to my fate is over...

**Thanks for reading everyone,**

**Chapter Six coming soon and please take a look at my new story Bellatrix too!**

**Please review and tell me what you think,**

**Rueflower7 xx**


	6. Chapter 6 - Could This Be True?

**A/N Thank you for all the reviews and especially to EzmiTallie for reviewing multiple chapters!**

**Disclaimer: I still ****don't own The Hunger Games :(**

Leaving the platform is fast, we are hurried off the train and directed towards the entrance to a building where many people are waiting to catch a glimpse of us. Us, the tributes from District Eleven, the ones they know have no chance in the games at all... They barely look like people, their odd hair styles and clothes, I watch their expressions as I pass by, carefully guarded by peacekeepers expecting for them to be sorry that we have to do this. I must be wrong for they only cheer louder once they see us and laugh at how frail I must look. My hair is in a huge mess all around me because I couldn't find a hairbrush of any sorts on the train. And I found no spare clothes apart from my spotted dress from... earlier. I suppose they want us to look natural, from our Districts. I try to ignore the cheering crowd and walk past quickly but Thresh grabs my arm and I freeze,

"Wave," he barely whispers in fear of being heard, "to make them happy," I look him in the eye in disbelief and confusion and then turn reluctantly turn to the excited faces of The Capitol, I smile sweetly and timidly and wave at them like a scared little girl. Not much of an act, but it takes them off their feet and they cheer even more loudly, their faces lighting up in the bright sun. _There Chaff, is that good enough for you?_

We are then bundled quickly into a grey room with a large window so that we can still be seen by The Capitol and I notice a camera at the back of the vast array of colour. Will mother and Willow be watching this right now? My eyes are then drawn to a woman wearing what seems to be a large yellow fruit on her head and she is waving violently at us, Thresh sees her too,

"I shall _never_ understand The Capitol," he says,

"Neither shall I," I tell him.

We are still closely guarded by two peacekeepers but Leto seems to have disappeared within the crowd... she probably needs to change into another ridiculous outfit. This morning I saw her in a mango ballgown and a scarf made with jewels and some sort of fur! How can that even be attractive at all here and if it is, what will they do to me? I won't allow them to do anything to me, whiskers, headpieces nothing. Nothing that shall take me away from my home. In a sudden jerk, the room moves upwards and I quickly grab on to a wall, realising that it is a lift. probably to where we shall be staying for the few moments before we are killed. Thresh is also frantically holding on, losing his balance but the peacekeepers keep entirely still in the middle of the room. The lift takes a long time to reach the top and I count every time I hear a beep...

One...

Two...

Three...

Four...

Five...

Six...

Seven...

Eight...

Nine...

Ten...

Eleven...

The lift comes to a halt on, surprisingly, the eleventh floor of the building. I fall to the floor feeling sick inside and I begin to cry, Thresh hurries over to comfort me but is grabbed by a peacekeeper and dragged out of the lift. The other one then grabs me off the floor and pulls me out too, do they have hearts at all? As soon as we are released the peacekeeper injects a needle into my arm and all I can hear are the fading sounds of their voices in the darkness of my vision.

"Rue?" I hear Thresh's voice, "Rue? I gently open my eyes to see his face but it is all still a blur,

"What happened," I croak, my voice hoarse and throat painfully blocked up,

"I don't known Rue but they're all gone now... Leto gave them a huge scolding at giving her newest tribute a black eye!

"A black eye, what?" my head is still dizzy but now I can see more clearly and Thresh guides me to the gold framed mirror on the crimson wall. I open my mouth to speak, but Thresh beats me to it,

"Don't worry, they'll be able to fix it once they begin to prepare you-"

"Prepare me...?" my mind is elsewhere but I suddenly flash back to reality, my heart sinking as I realise what he means,

"We should really be downstairs already being prepared for our first night, but there was a delay in District Twelve's Reaping, something about a volunteer? Anyway... they delayed the whole process massively but we should be called for soon, meanwhile, you should check out this place. It's amazing!

I take a sip from a glass of fruit flavoured water and enter the next room via the sliding door to my left, there is a girl at the entrance who seems about my age and she offers me another glass of something and points to my eye, she doesn't speak to me and I understand why. She is an Avox, I'm sure she is - father told me about these Capitol slaves who are taken from their Districts and forced to work for the rich hooligans who live here, and they have their tongues cut clean off which just seems plain evil to me,

"It's ok," I tell her, "you _can_ speak to me," she shakes her head and leaves me quickly with the glass of orange liquid, " Thank you!" I shout, she turns and bows to me which is a good enough response I suppose. I continue to enter the room, taking small sips from the glass, it tastes tropical and exciting, alike the clothes and pets of The Capitol and yes I mean pets, they have rainbow coloured dogs. The room has a blue bed with golden lining threaded onto the cover and seems high above the ground. There is a sign on the door but my head is too fuzzy to work out what it says. I perch on the bed and pick up a small device on top, I press the first button and the light turns on, second the door closes and third, the cupboard opens revealing a darkened outfit that I recognise as training uniform. And the number on the back is eleven.

I hear a small knocking sound and stand up to open the door where Leto is waiting with a band of Capitols,

"Come Rue we must leave now to get you prepared," I am stuck for words as I look at her orange mermaids costume and golden wig, she turns to a person with purple hair,

"Frail thing isn't she," she says, "Won't last a day in the arena!" they laugh and I hold back my tears, "Anyway, we shall have to try," Wit that she grabs me and pulls me into another lift where Thresh is waiting, the prep team discuss us until we reach the bottom but now I'm more stable in the lift and stay on my feet all the way down. When we reach the floor, I am immediately placed in a bathtub by a woman dressed in black and silver with magenta hair and brutally scrubbed until the water has long been cold. Then, I am left on a table in a white nightdress behind a curtain, all alone. I close my eyes and dream of mother and Willow. All my belongings tossed carelessly into a basket to be removed from me until I am placed in a box and sent to my District, at least I will be with my family then.. won't I?

**Thank you for reading I hope that you enjoy this next chapter and if there are any characters you want me to add in then please tell me in a review. Chapter Seven coming soon and will come faster the more reviews I get (Constructive criticism is welcome)! Remember to check out my other story Bellatrix and keep a look out for a new story from EzmiTallie coming soon on her account!**

**Thank you,**

**Rueflower7 xx**


	7. Chapter 7 - Perhaps I Have a Chance?

**Sorry it took so long but Chapter Seven is finally here!**

After lying there for so long, I felt hazy but was forced into a small farmer's dress but in many Capitol colours like blue, purple and aquamarine. Thresh is dressed as a farmer costume to I notice as I walk to greet him by the horses, this is not surprising seeing as our tributes have been dressed like this since forever. We then enter our chariots second to last and I get my first real look at everyone; the District Twos appear to be terrifying dressed in their golden armour and so do the District Ones even though they are dressed in bright colours and feathers. The noise is indescribable, just violent cheering and the light all around me is blinding. I try to look scared and vulnerable but I can't avoid being angry at the Capitol. We begin to travel and I see the presenters at the far end of the path and the president sitting at the throne of honour at the top, he is looking down on us and always will do, even to the victors of these games. The ride is almost over and I turn to see the District Twelves behind me and can hardly believe my eyes as they are covered in flames, bright orange flames. The crowd seems to go wild at this and I am relieved when it is all over and I can return to the eleventh floor of the Training Centre to sleep.

I do not remember much more of the previous night, only being taken back to the floor and placed on the large bed before being fiercely awaken in what seemed like only a few moments since I had closed my eyes, by Leto in a turquoise morning gown,

"Come dear, it's a very big day - today you start your training,"

My heart drops like a stone at the thought of having to go and watch people throwing knives and spears at targets and judging when they should kill me in The Games, but I have no choice but to go...

I feel different today as I sit down by the breakfast table and a girl Avox brings me a glass of red juice, my black eye has miraculously disappeared but feels strange anyway and I feel clean and covered with unnecessary makeup... my dress is different too, just a purple nightgown but it feels silky smooth - What have they done to me is my first thought - they have made me into one of their Capitol dolls when I only wanted to be a little girl climbing the treetops of District Eleven, we could have all survived like that for many years if The Hunger Games wasn't here; it is the only thing stopping us from being a proper family... I hope they will still think of me as family when I am out there in the arena, what if I make a kill. I just beg that Willow doesn't watch the games. I never did, since Tansy at least...

The Avox leaves me and I notice that she must not be much older than me and she does not look like someone who recently committed an unforgivable crime, but in Panem lots of things are unforgivable - except in the arena. She resumes her position at the back of the room and I am about to attempt to talk to her when Chaff and Seeder enter and sit down opposite me,

"Hello Rue," Seeder says sweetly, "How are things going?" I want to tell her how scared I am about meeting these people and how I really don't want to be murdered or even have to enter the arena but I just mumble that I am fine - for Chaff is waiting for me to admit how scared I really am,

"Are you excited about training, Rue? he asks me like he is talking to a small child,

"Yeah, I suppose I am Chaff,"

"What Chaff is trying to say is don't be too afraid out there, make some friends," Seeder smiles and look at me like she is talking to me like a friend or a family member, rather than someone who is preparing me for The Hunger Games. She then looks at Chaff, annoyed. They then leave me in peace to finish my breakfast and get ready to leave. The building makes me feel so small and I imagine what Willow would do if she saw this place, her little voice, _Look Rue I found my teddy, Rue! Rue! Come play with me, Rue, where are you going..._

My family always tried to avoid watching the games because it wasn't right, but sometimes we had to when we were passing by the square. But even if you don't watch The Hunger Games you know whenever a District Eleven tribute has died because the heart wrenching shrieks of their families echoes through the dusted streets, I try to picture home in my mind - just sitting there in silence. Perhaps Juniper will look after Willow when my mother gets upset, she always did for me when I was young like her.

After breakfast I change into my training clothes and look around the floor for Thresh, he is waiting on one of the sofas for me and I smile weakly,

"So," he says, "How did you sleep?"

"Oh um.. I was fine thanks if that's what you mean, different to Eleven that's for sure,"

Leto comes in dressed in a silver puffed tutu with green and pink swirls and beckons us to come to meet our fellow tributes, so we follow her down and enter the room where I am facing my fellow murderers.

Thresh walks straight in and looks to me as to say, _come on Rue, make a good impression, _so I follow him and wonder around the stations, before settling at the plants and naming in silence which ones are edible and which ones aren't, just simple things really so it is hard for me to watch the other young tributes from non career districts failing miserably at this. When I have finished, I watch the careers throwing knives and spears at dummies and my stomach knots, soon they will be throwing them at me and there is nothing I can do about it, except if I have an ally... Yes, I can get an ally and we can escape the careers together and I could even win The Games - but there is nobody here who would be remotely good enough to fight the careers and who would not be completely murder crazy; Thresh wouldn't want to be held back by me seeing as I am so young for The Games and all the other tributes seem to all have allegiances already. There is always the Twelves, they look as if they may need a good ally, well the girl seems like she could cope on her own and the boy seems to be staying away from everyone so I guess they're out of the question really... but I could always try...

_Ouch,_ I stumble to the floor as the District One boy powers past me and purposely hits my shoulder,

"Nice one Marvel, " cheers his District partner as I quickly get up and walk away with their laughter and mocking conversation still audible,

"She's gonna be a soft-kill and that's for sure," I hear him reply as they begin to archery against the targets and then sword fighting with the dummies, casting off their limbs but not a second thought of what they must be feeling and how awful it really is to kill someone. but I guess that I should just let them be, they'll kill me anyway. I don't notice where I am going and crash into the District Twelve girl, Katniss, I think her name is, and she looks at me with kind eyes, like she feels sorry for me,

"Oh sorry" I say and I walk off in another other direction with tears streaming down my face, I can't let anyone see me like this or I am dead already, but when I turn again she is still looking at me like I am somebody she knows. Maybe this allegiance could work after all.

**Thank you for reading and please review, Chapters will come more quickly the more reviews I get!**

**Rueflower7 xx**


	8. Chapter 8 - Like a Little Fairy

**Chapter Eight,Yay!**

**I do not own The Hunger Games**

As I awake to the sound of Leto's shoes pacing around the breakfast table only days from the start of The Games, only one thing is in my mind, _private training. _I walk to greet her and Seeder is there where, Leto leaves me to talk to Seeder alone and goes to find Thresh. She tells me how getting the right type of score could depend on how I do in the arena and how I have to make the right impression,

"I know we wanted to make you seem small and weak at first, but now I think you should show off some of your skills - climb something or use a slingshot, do whatever you think you are best at but still be quiet whilst you are there,"

"Ok, I'll try my best, but don't expect much of a good score from me," I reply timidly,

"I'm sure you will do just fine Rue, just fine," she is looking me in the same way Katniss did - like someone they have lost who close to them, a sister or another close family member, or maybe even an ally from The Games who was lost like I will be. Seeder can see what I am thinking,

"I don't want you to feel that this is a death sentence Rue, you could win The Hunger Games," she tells me but the hope in her eyes is little,

"I doubt it, no twelve year old has ever won the games,

"They've come close Rue, very close, and you're smart, small and people wouldn't expect much from you so you could prove them wrong. You _could _be the first," she turns and leaves the breakfast table, smiling weakly at me as she enters the lift to go and meet Chaff and I am left alone to think before I prepare for the day. My life is so different now, like something entirely new that I never imagined! If I had known then that I would have been coming here I would have cried, I could have known whilst me and Willow were turning cartwheels in the meadows and never believed a word of it. I could have looked at Thresh and never imagined that he would be anything else but Juniper's son, but in fact he is more like an elder brother to me now. I would have hugged mother like I did when I was Willows age and cried into her arms about it and asked her why it had to happen to me but- I only found out at The Reaping and that's why it was so upsetting and how The Hunger Games rips apart the innocent families of Panem every time a name is read, every time a canon sounds and forever past that.

I am a tribute of these games, so I am just a piece of The Games that they dress up so that I put on a good show and am unneeded once I enter the arena, for then they just need me dead in the most interesting way possible.

I return to my sleeping quarters and get dressed into my training outfit like I did yesterday, but today is not my day of training with the other tributes, I just have to sit with them until it is my turn for the individual assessment. I tie my hair back into a loose ponytail, thinking of how I used to do Willow's hair every morning. I would braid it into plaits before she went to sleep then when she awoke I would brush it and fasten it with a ribbon and it would be frizzy and curly all around her face. Frizzy describes Willow well, as do Bubbly, sweet, caring... for a moment I can see her as if she is in front of me, her eyes shining in admiration of her big sister like the time I climbed a tree to fetch her teddy she had thrown up there and brought it back to her arms. She never was angry or upset with anyone, just her own bubbly self who was always playing with the butterflies and dreaming about fairies. Once we made a fairy stone circle in the meadow and asked them to bring her good dreams and happy memories, the sun shone down on it and shone down on her beaming face. We would sing a song I created for her about The Willow Fairy and dance until sunset barefooted in our homemade cotton gowns,

_Oh precious fairy of the willow tree_

_Let your light shine down on us and see_

_That though times have been tricky for us_

_And though we are not old and wise_

_I wish to tell you to your eyes_

_To let you know this is my only wish_

_This is my special wish_

_This is my precious wish_

Not much, I know - but it made Willow happy all the same and seeing her happy made me happy too.

I wonder what Tansy was doing before her private assessment, she was probably not sitting on her Capitol bed thinking of our family, _was she? _I never knew her well enough in that way but maybe one day before her games she did sit and think of us and I wonder if she did when her body hit the ground and the canon sounded in the arena. Poor Tansy, somehow I have got to win The Hunger Games for Tansy didn't and if you don't win The Hunger Games then you are dead. Dying scares me a lot, but it is already too late to be scared.

I meet Thresh and we are escorted down to the training centre where we all sit in silence in a small room and one by one are called for our assessment, the Ones look smug as they enter, looking back at the other one as if to say,_ this is easy. _It's the same with the Twos but past that, apart from the Fours, they all look terrified. By the time aThresh is called for his turn, there are only four of us left: Me, Thresh, Katniss and the Twelve boy who I think is called Peeta. Thresh exits into the assessment room looking strong but still looks back at me. After ten minutes, I hear my name called and all goes dizzy and dark as I stand up and walk forwards. I try to be brave as I enter the room and hear the bellowing sound of someone's voice from the platform above,

"You have ten minutes to present your chosen skill," he says and they all look at me. I immediately run over to three piles of plants and tear them apart to fine shreds before attaching them to hard, sharp stones. I then find some wood and string and craft a quick slingshot, before launching the stones at the dummies. I had to be careful for the plants were poison, but they seemed impressed enough seeing as I am so small even for my age. I then see a stretch of rope leading from the ceiling and climb up it until my hands hurt and then seeing that I have reached the top, I am level with the game makers for a second, before I climb down the rope and jump onto the mat below. I then turn and leave the room watching as Peeta enters looking bewildered already.

"So Rue my dear how did it go," Leto and her team all cluster around me excitedly, back on the eleventh floor

"It went fine, I guess?" I am tired now and relieved to be able to relax on one of the velvety sofas and watch our scores. The Ones and Twos score highly of course but the others score averages of around five to eight, Thresh scores an amazingly high score of ten which is equivalent to Cato and Clove from District Two, and then it is my turn. I watch as Caesar reads out my score,

"Seven," they all applaud me on my high score and especially Seeder who looks at me as if to say I knew you could do it. But there is not long to celebrate our scores for tonight we have the interviews so we have to be prepared and tutored by Leto and the rest of the prep team. We are taken down to be washed and dressed for the interviews and they give me a hot bath with lots of bubbles which is simply heaven and then show me what I shall be wearing tonight, I am quite taken back be the wispy green dress with golden wings on the back because it appears to me as something out of a story. It looks like the dress of the Willow fairy that I used to describe to her, I used to describe that to Willow. My stylist, once I am in the dress attaches the wings and asks me how it feels, but before I can reply he says,

"So you see Rue, these wings can actually fly when you press the button on the back so that you can enter your interview flying like a fairy,"

"Oh ok, shall I try it now?" I ask and reach for the button,

"No don't be silly girl, you need to report to Leto for practise. Now off you go,"

"He ushers me out of the room and I enter the next where Leto is seated at the far corner in a tangerine orange dress, she turns to me and her face crumples like she is crying,

"Oh Rue, you look like a little fairy,"

**Please review and can you tell me some names of Capitol people please?**

**Rueflower7 xx**


	9. Chapter 9 - My Final Night

**I do not own The Hunger Games.**

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen to the 74th annual Hunger Games!" Caesar's voice booms out toward the crowd and they cheer loud as Rue you can do this, just make them like you - I try to encourage myself as I pace back and forth behind the stage. The interviews started a good five minutes ago and Caesar is already on the District One female, Glimmer I think her name is and she is captivating the audience with bright smiles which would make anyone like her. Anyone who didn't know she was actually a cold-blooded murderer who can kill three people with one arrow.

I sort of zone out for the next couple of interviews but when they reach the District Five girl someone taps me on my back and I turn around to see a member of my prep team, she has purple hair in curls and a long fur cape but I am too worried about the interview to take much notice of her obscure taste in dress,

"It is time to connect your wings Rue, so that you can fly onto the stage like the little fairy you are," she has no sympathy in her voice and just seems to want all of this to be over and done with so that she can get some easier tributes to work with. Thresh and I have not been the easiest tributes to handle as often I would get upset by the prep team and start shouting at them until Thresh started shouting at them too and they all went off with their heads in their hands, and Leto got very frustrated at my half-hearted answers in the interview practise because it really makes her angry when something is not glamorous enough. She was also upset from earlier.

I follow the lady further back stage where she presses something on the wings and holds down a lever on an electronic mechanism and, I begin to hover slightly above the ground. I am terrified at first that I will fly onto the stage before my time but they all ensure that I don't by leading me into a small backstage room where I practise flying to Leto, I am a bit shaky at first but after I practise for a while I can just about fly in a straight line.

The purple-haired lady comes in and signals for me to prepare to go onto the stage and I bravely exit the room and look towards the light at the opening of the wings,

"And here we have her, Rue!" Caesar beckons me onto the stage and Seeder gives me a quick thumbs up before I try my best to fly gracefully to the sear. I circle the stage once or twice to gain popularity from the crowd before sitting down and smiling timidly at him like I was told to,

"So Rue can you tell me about any family you have back at home?" he asks with a huge fake smile. I want to scream an angry reply but I hold myself back and answer,

"Yes Caesar I have a sister called Willow," I say it quietly but it is still audible,

"And can you say anything about your District Rue, what do you do?" I hesitate and then reply,

"I look after my sister and try to support my family, but it is hard sometimes and what will they do now if I die?" I think Willow and let a tear run down my cheek making the Capitol audience all sympathetic for me which I suppose must be good,

"And one last question Rue, what chance do _you _believe you have in this games,?" I am not sure what to say but it soon comes to me,

"If they can't catch me, they can't kill me. So don't count me out."

"I wouldn't count you out in a million years," I smile weakly at him,

"Our little flower Rue from District Eleven!" he stands up and I do to before I fly off the stage wanting to cry, my mother used to call me little flower and there is nothing more they can take away from me is there? Leto seems thrilled with my performance and hugs me all over telling me that I was brilliant, her makeup was re-done after her crying incident earlier and she tries to hide her upset as best as possible. I, although, can see through it. After Thresh's minimum communicative interview the District Twelve girl Katniss appears in a beautifully coloured dress that lights up in flames when she spins around. She talks about saving her little sister bravely but I can tell that she too is gulping back tears.

Later we have a full dinner back in the training centre and I try to eat as much as i can before the games start tomorrow but my appetite is dissolving with my fear and I can barely manage any dessert. I try to go to bed early but I am held at the dinner table for an hour with Chaff and Seeder as they try to tell me and Thresh how to win the games,

"So Thresh is there anyone who you would like to be your ally so far?" Chaff asks curiously and Thresh replies,

"No - I was asked by the careers, but I would never have an allegiance with them,"

"Ok perhaps you will find someone else in the arena, how about you Rue?"

"Well, Katniss seems nice and she got a really high training score so I guess she would be useful to have as an ally,"

"Great Rue, that sounds amazing if you can get her to ally with you," he says sarcastically and Seeder stares disapprovingly at him,

"What Chaff is trying to say here Rue is great choice, now you two had better get off to bed so that you are well prepared for tomorrow," I leave the table and hurry to my bedroom to prepare for bed quickly but I am caught up in Chaff and Seeder's conversation,

"She will never replace her you do know that don't you," Chaff tells her,

"I know but, I can hope that she can win because she does have it in her," she is crying now but who is she talking about? Perhaps I remind her of another tribute or even of a family member lost to the games. memories flood my mind when I close my eyes as they are still riddled with glimpses of my family and home that I will never see again. Tonight is my final night and I am ready to enter the arena tomorrow. But I really don't think that I am.

**Thank you for reading I would really appreciate some reviews!**

**Rueflower7 xx**


	10. Chapter 10 - Tokens and Cannons

**Sorry for the wait but here is chapter ten finally!**

This_ is is Rue, this is the day of The Hunger Games._ I rise early from bed and go straight to breakfast hoping to eat lots before I enter the arena but I am too scared to eat anything and simply sit at the table in silence,

"Rue you really need to eat something before you go into the games," Seeder tells me, "At least try... for me?"

Reluctantly, I pick up a slice of toast with jam and nibble it slowly; I want to have a breakfast that is somewhat close to the kind I would have back in Eleven but if I want to survive these games I will have to eat a lot more. After I finish the toast I am feeling hungry so I take a muffin from the table and eat it quickly before settling with a plate of small, thick blueberry pancakes with a delicious cream that I don't know the name of.

After breakfast I feel sick, but not because of the food that I ate but because of the fact that we are about to leave for the games. I am dressed into my tribute uniform with help from my avox and I thank her when she has finished but I can tell she is sad. I feel so sorry for her now, having to watch these tributes who she has cared for brutally murdered in the arena only the next day. I do my own hair, pinning it back as I did for Willow all of that time ago and regret that she may be watching me in that arena in merely a few hours. Mother would never let her watch the games as she never has before, but as I am not the first person to lose in our family - she may act differently.

I exit my room for the last time and wait at the doorway for the others to arrive. I must have gotten ready quickly because I have to wait a good ten minutes before Leto appears in the living room area; she is not as bright and optimistic as she had been for the rest of my time in The Capitol, I can see it in her eyes but she keeps a smile on her face all the same. Her dress today is not as extravagant either but simply a blue gown with silver spirals and a small yellow wig, her face is less powdered than usual but I suppose that is because she doesn't want be seen crying,

"Okay Rue it is nearly time to go but we just need to wait for Thresh,"

"Okay Leto," I reply confidently and she rushes off to her room to cry I am sure. How can somebody who has done this job for years and lived in The Capitol her whole life be so sympathetic towards the younger tributes? Perhaps once she lost a child of her own, it does happen even to people in The Capitol.

I stare out of the window and for a second I expect to see the empty mud-tracks and plains of District Eleven like I could see out of my window at home but instead I see The Capitol's tall grey buildings nd a mess of colour at the bottom where the people are waiting to see us. Chaff and Seeder wait together at a table near to the door and seem to be talking about us or - talking about saying their final goodbyes...

I shouldn't feel sorry for myself because I don't and I should therefore not be afraid of entering the arena if death is so inevitable for me. It's just that I can't imagine actually dying and never returning to District Eleven, my home forever. For all I know soon my corpse will be delivered to Hydrangea Plain. Alone. Lifeless. Gone.

"Come then you two," Chaff arrives with Thresh and we enter the elevator to go down and be transported to the arena along with the other tributes. It will be an awkward ride I am sure because we shall be sitting beside people who are about to murder us and for all we know they will be planning them already. That is one place that gives me hope; they all expect me to go down straight away and in a way I do too. But they could be underestimating me, the little girl, I could surprise them and even perhaps outwit them if I try my best.

We enter the hovercraft second to last with only the District Twelve tributes to follow us and are tightly buckled in to uncomfortable seats. The tributes from One and Two give each other sinister smiles as Thresh and I enter the vehicle but it is me whom they are laughing that and I understand why. I am nothing to them, not even a slight threat. The Twelves arrive shortly after us looking just as confused and scared but the careers don't look at them in quite the same way as they got good training scores and could do incredibly well in these games. When we are all seated people come round with long needles and I begin to feel faint, like the feeling when mother was fatally ill and I had suddenly realised that she may not have survived and the feeling when I realised that father was gone forever after the ring of the gunshot. I had finally come to grips with my situation now that I was here and being prepared to die. A lady pushes the needle into my arm and I flinch with the sharp pain inflicted inside of my wrist. Then begins to beep and I realise that my every move from now on is being tracked, tracked by the Gamemakers because I am about to enter the games.

The journey is longer than I expect but that is probably just because I feel so pressurised by the other tributes around me - they have all fallen silent now which is for the best really and they all seem intimidated. Even the careers can be scared because deep down, no one must _really _want to be in The Hunger Games. A couple of times, I catch the eye of Katniss, the Twelve girl, but even she seems distant now. The hovercraft comes to a sudden stop and we are taken off one by one by the peacekeepers and escorted to our tubes into the arena. To my utter surprise and delight, Seeder is waiting there for me,

"I couldn't leave you without saying goodbye," she tells me and reminds me of my mother before our family fell apart, "'I found this among your clothing on the day you arrived, I thought you might like it as your District token," she produces out of the palm of her hand Willow's necklace from the day of The Reaping. I lift it to my face to try to smell a scent of home and picture mother and Willow in my mind, I can picture them together but the necklace smells like rotting metal. At least it is rotting like our District,

"Thank you so much Seeder," I say and suddenly burst out crying, she hugs me tight and runs her hand through my hair,

"Don't worry Rue you are going to be okay," she tells me, "Just follow your instinct and stay strong," Seeder ties the necklace around my neck and the sound of a voice appears from a speaker,

"_Please can all tributes enter their tubes. All tributes enter their tubes. Thirty seconds,"_

"Good luck Rue," she whispers into my ear and I walk towards the tube shaking. As I enter it I can see that Seeder is clearly holding back tears but I don't let that scare me and bravely stand there as it closes,

_"Ten seconds," _the voice booms and the tube rises up into a grassy clearing. I look around frantically to see lush woodland and streams at the edges, _this is it Rue._

_"Ladies and gentlemen," says the distractive voice of Seneca Crane, "Let the 74th annual Hunger Games begin!"_

**Thanks for reading and please review,**

**Rueflower7 xx**


	11. Chapter 11 - All Alone

**Hi there everyone! Wow I have not updated any of my stories in ages but I have decided that now it is getting towards winter again I would continue to write!**

**Enjoy!**

I run. All I can hear is the blood pounding in my ears as my head spins at the sight of the bloodbath. All the nearly dead lying at my feet with terrible and untreatable wounds. I want to help people but I need to save myself. Quickly I grab a small brown satchel with a silver clasp whilst I run and quickly swing it over my shoulder. Many have already been perished at the hands of the careers as I grab a small satchel and run silently towards the woods where I know I cannot be safe but I shall be safer than where I was. A boy throws a knife in my direction half-heartedly and misses by far, there is a dying girl on the floor who is begging for my help in her weary breaths but I have to go as the blonde girl from District One is running my way with a silver bow and arrow in hand,

"I am do sorry," I tell her and with that I run away from sight.

_Boom._

I keep on running through the forest. The scent of death still lingers around me as I finally stop and choose a tree to spend some time in. I must have run a couple of kilometres because I do not hear any other tributes near to me which is a good sign. I am so terrified - for all I know somebody could come and put a knife in my back any second now and that would be the end for me and my family. Who is still alive now I wonder? For it can't be too many as so many have already been killed in the bloodbath - I'm guessing the Careers are alive, the District 12 girl, perhaps the one from 5 and maybe a few others.

_-Boom-_

The Careers will be hunting us down as we are alone and vulnerable and then they will turn on each other and fight to find the victor. Sometimes The Games are brutal. I remember being told about one year when the only three people left was a brother and a sister the sister was was 15 and the brother 12, and a Career. They both knew that if they beat the Career the older one would let the younger one live but although the Career was beaten, the younger one died fighting. The sibling who won is still alive now I think - just, but her family dis-owned her after The Games as they were so disappointed that she could let her poor brother die. If they had experienced life in the arena they would have felt differently...

-_Boom_-

It is getting dark now and cold too. With each strike of the cannon I feel more and more scared as that boom could be for me very soon and I have lost count of the number of people who have died so far. There are just too many to count. Everything seems more scary in the dark- I would like to light a fire but I know that would be a bad idea. Now, what is in this satchel I picked up? I open the clasp to find a flask for water, a small knife, a folded sleeping bag, a stretch of rope and some thermal gloves. Not much really... No food but I suppose it is enough to keep me going. At the bottom of the bag there is a small vile containing a clear liquid that is probably a remedy but looks like something also to clean wounds.

Suddenly the music blasts from all corners and I hear the anthem playing, the sky lights up and all of the dead tributes' faces are projected into the air... 1...2...3...4..5...6..7... and more but I cannot bare to watch them any more as seeing their brave faces will only make me cry. All of them were young and a few were probably my age but when they get into the arena they are nothing but a part of the games... It is not right that people are gambling on who they think will win the games - we are people and we have should be treated like that. The tree that looms above me looks perfect to spend the night, simple to climb without making any noise and altogether a great place to sleep with many thick leaves to shield me from sight. I know! I shall stay up in the trees so that nobody will be able to find me and it should be easy enough to jump between branches and and... Just like at home. Home is a distant life now like one that came to me in a dream and then faded away into the shadows as my name was called and my set of mind changed from being worried about not being able to support my family or if I would miss the berry cart to how in Panem am I going to survive in this arena.

Climbing up the tree is easy even in the dark, it is like my feet know where to go naturally and when the top of the tree is near I can sense where the path from the branches to the stars is. The sleeping bag in my satchel is perfect to fit on one of the the branches and I tie it all down with the rope in a perfect knot. There are stars. Many, many beautiful stars in the sky and they remind me of sitting in the trees at night in Eleven but those stars were real and these stars are only made to look like real stars - I know that there is a bubble and I doubt I shall live to get out of it. Wait, I should be more optimistic about this than I am being right now I mean... I have survived a day in this arena! I have survived the bloodbath and all of the careers completely untouched! Now if I just keep going like I am and find some food I could have a real chance of surviving these games. My fingers touch a small stick and I wrap some of the leftover rope that flew away from the coil around it to form a small sort of sling shot. My fingers clasp a small and smooth rock which is perfect so I place the rock in the sling and fire it up perfectly towards the stars - within seconds the rock makes a gentle thump and lands back in my hand. Trapped. Just like us.

**So there it is! Chapter Eleven is complete and a little on the short side so sorry about that but the next chapters will be longer and more exciting. ****I doubt there will be too many more chapters as ...you know the story... but anyways please review and like and follow and check out my other stories too. If I get some ****reviews I might even post the next chapter tomorrow!**

**Rueflower7 xx**


	12. Chapter 12 - Sting

**Hello! So here is chapter 12 thank you to Londonswriting and Red Rosiecals for reviewing my last chapter. Just to clarify this is based on the book of The Hunger Games so if there are any details that were changed in the movie that I am missing it is purely purposeful. Enjoy!**

Hunger. Hunger is taking over my senses. My head feels blurry and my eyes are aching so much that I can barely see around. It is the morning now but that makes it no better than in the night as I could sleep in the night and people wouldn't have been able to see me but here one wrong foot could send me flying down to my death. A couple of days might have passed by now but I have not counted the dates and nights I have gone alone and hungry nor have I counted the number of deaths so far but I know it has been many and I am pretty certain I am the youngest left in the games. The only person I have seen at all since day one is a girl with orange hair and a strange looking face like some sort of animal that I can't remember the name of but she seemed to not want any trouble so I just kept quiet and watched from above. Since the first day my feet have only touched the ground twice in search of food but I am sure I have moved very far from where I started. It_ is_ morning now but it is so early that nobody else, I think, has stirred. The best thing to do I suppose is to keep moving.

I carry on moving through the trees until I see something strange: Katniss, the girl from 12, is up a tree and below her to my horror are the careers. Although I do not know who exactly was accepted into the careers before the games I can tell it is them as I recognise the girl and boy from 1 and from 2 and the boy from 12 which is surprising as I would not expect for them to allow him to be part of their allegiance. Katniss is definitely in trouble - if she leaves the tree she will be killed and the same if she stays up there but there must be something she can do. Looking around I see something just above her head and then I am almost certain that Katniss will not survive as above her he head is a tracker jacker nest - death is certain.

I have to warn her. I have to get her attention without the careers waking up and seeing me. Slowly I move slightly and break one of the branches off of the tree, she immediately turns her head and looks at me surprised. I signal towards the tracker jacket nest but her reaction is very different from what I expect - instead of attempting to jump onto another tree or facing her chances with the careers, Katniss gets out her knife and begins to cut through the nest at full speed. It is difficult for her to do as she has to reach upwards but still keep her grip on the tree, try to avoid getting stung and not wake up the careers lying below her ready to jump out with weapons at any moment. There is not much chance she is going to survive through this but I don't want to watch her die. Closing my eyes I hear her gasp as she is stung by one of the tracker jackers and my heart leaps. Again, she is stung and again but she carries on cutting furiously until the nest falls and the screaming begins.

I can't tell who is the first person to awake from the bees as they all seem to be immediately alert, running and tripping over the ground and each other. It is strange that they only now seem to care for themselves when they had been working together for the games so far. They all seem to be getting away when the District 1 girl trips and falls! She is screaming as the bees buzz all around her stopping her from standing and running and pushing her to the floor. Whilst she and the other careers are distracted I see Katniss very slowly coming down from the tree, she looks like she knows what she is doing but then suddenly the District 1 girl makes one final scream and Katniss falls to the ground with a great thud and I am almost certain that I am staring at two dead bodies.

Once I am certain that the careers (the remaining ones) have disappeared I rush through the trees and down to Katniss's side. She is still alive, I know that, but barely and I have to get help or she will definitely die. There is no point in checking if the District 1 girl is alive because the horrible bumps on her skin and lifeless expression on her face tells me she is already dead, and the fact that one cannon has sounded already. I haul Katniss's body as far as I can to a small clearing and set about finding many different leaves to heal her bruises and stings from the tracker jackers. Hands shaking, I crush the leaves with a few berries and add the small vile from my satchel to make the mixture into a pulp. The remaining liquid in the bottle I use to clean up some of her other wounds and finally wrap her in leaves as a substitute for plasters. When I am done I think she is sleeping peacefully but she shall to awake for a few days. As I was collecting the leaves I found some berries which I know are edible so when Katniss is safely sleeping I cram a handful into my mouth. If I was wrong about the berries and they are poison, I suppose that is just bad luck.

The night is getting dark now and a few more faces appear in the sky and seeing all of these people makes me worry about what Katniss will do when she wakes up. She probably will not remember me trying to help her and may even think that I caused all of the bruises and scars she has - she seemed okay during the time before the arena but I have no way of telling. _Just wait for the morning,_ I tell my self, _just wait _\- Only one of us can survive, I just wish for that person to be me.

**So there you go chapter 12! It is not too long but I want to have as many chapters as I can in this story so I will probably have around 16 in the end. Please review and chapters will come sooner!**

**Rueflower7 xx**


	13. Chapter 13 - The Plan

**Thank you for reading this far, in this chapter I have tried not to follow the exact dialogue Suzanne Collins used because I don't want to plagiarise her works so I have put the events that happened into my own works and added a few parts in to suit my story. Enjoy!**

It has been a couple of days since I saved Katniss but she still hasn't woken up, I change her bandages once a day or so and give her water as she sleeps. I never leave her alone or out of sight because I know that she is an easy target being unconscious. Soon, I guess, I will have to move on as there is not much food around here and tributes are dropping fast - there are probably only nine or ten left in the games at all. Perhaps if she is hidden she will not be found whilst she is sleeping and she can wake up and continue surviving alone, but it is very unlikely she would survive when she is sleeping. My satchel has been broken a bit and is looking very battered but everything inside of it is still intact including the slingshot which I have tried to shoot animals with but failed each time and a few people have heard me moving around and come to take a look but i am well hidden.

Turning to retrieve water from the stream nearby I hear a noise - Katniss is waking up, I grab my satchel and run to hide not far from where she is but I drop my slingshot before I am out of the clearing and it is too late to go back for it. How could I have been so stupid? She takes a while before she comes looking for me but I do not know what she is doing as I am too far to see but still I am too scared to run away quite yet. Maybe now I am safe, she has not noticed my slingshot and I could always make another one so I could just go. Quietly I rise from my position and begin to walk away from the clearing when I step on a twig which breaks and Katniss peers around to my direction. Quickly I get behind a tree, panting and praying that she didn't see me... she knows that I have been here because she has seen what I left behind and now she is going to kill me! Leaves are surrounding me so there is not much chance I will be found and she can just carry on her journey alone but she is getting much closer now and closer and closer and - Just as I am certain I am safe she says,

"We can make allegiances to, not just them,"

"You want me for an ally?" I am shocked,

"Why not? You saved me and helped me survive when I was a sleep, you are clever enough to survive out here alone and it doesn't seem like i can get rid of you!"

Undecided, I look at her, terrified,

"Hungry?" she asks and I look over to the meat at the edge of the clearing which I have slowly backed into, " I've had a couple of kills today,"

"I-I tried to fix your stings,"

"Really?" she asks, "How,"

I produce the leaves I used from my pocket, she seems to recognise them,

"Where did you get those?"

"Just around, we always carry them at home, there are a lot of nest around the orchards," she sits down and I replace the leaves as she has not done them quite right and she talks about my district, I smile,

"The orchards? That must be why you are so good up in the trees," I roll up my sleeves and she sees a burn on my arm,

"I can fix that," she says and puts a small ointment onto it, although it stings at first it is a great relief,

"You have really great sponsors," I say once she is done, "I have not had anything yet,"

"You will, people will realise how smart you are towards the end," she is so much nicer to me than I thought she would be - wait - I am suspicious as to if she really wants me as an ally,

"So, did you really mean it when you said you wanted me as an ally?"

"Of course," she replies,

"Ok," we shake hands, neither of us admitting that this deal cannot last forever. She hands me a full leg of the meat, which is groosling,

"Oh, I have never had a whole leg before to myself," which is true as we never eat much food in Eleven,

"Take the other," she offers

"Really?"

"Sure, I can easily get more now that I have the bow and arrow," I am still uncertain for she will be hungry too,

"Take it," she says, so I do,

"I thought you would have lots of extra food, you know, since you are in the agriculture district,"

"Oh we never eat the crops, it is forbidden,"

"What happens if you do?"

"You will be severely punished, whipped probably, but it has never happened to me even though I have taken some for my family before. Do you get all the coal you want in Twelve?"

"No, just the same as everyone else sadly,"

"We do get extra food in the harvest, to keep everybody going,"

"Do you go to school in the harvest?"

"No, I say, everybody works then but I have not gone to school for a while because I have to care for my family,"

"I have to care for my family too," she says, "My father died working in the mines,"

"Mine was," I struggle to speak as I choke back tears, "Executed, for believing in something else,"

"I'm sorry," she says,

"I'm sorry about your father too,"

We go about laying out our food and dividing it equally between us so that if we get separated we can still survive and whilst we do I tell her what happened with the bees,

"Tracker Jacker venom," I say, "It got into you when you were stung, you have been out cold for a few days," she nods and then looks around sharply as if she has just remembered what happened,

"What about the careers? I was up the tree and I cut the nest and-"

"They left when you cut the nest down onto them, but Glimmer was killed by the bees,"

"Oh," she is quiet for a second and then I say,

"The girl from Four is gone as well," I show her everything I have in my satchel and she shows me everything she has with her,

"I did not get much but I had to get much at the cornucopia but I wanted to get away as fast as I could,"

"I don't blame you - I had a couple of near misses getting all this but I missed getting the bow and arrow,"

"Really? I presumed it had been yours in the first place as you had it when you passed out,"

"It was Glimmer's" she replies,

"Oh,"

"So where do you sleep Rue? In the trees?" I nod, "It must be quite cold up there in just your jacket,"

"I have been working late nights in the orchards since my father died, the cold doesn't bother me much," I tell her,

"You could share my sleeping bag if you want to, there is plenty of room for the both of us," I am surprised at this offer, but I suppose it would be nice to have somewhere nice and warm to sleep tonight. I smile and nod and the anthem starts to play, showing the fans of the dead,

"So I only missed the girls from one and four right?"

"Yes, but Peeta is okay if that is what you are thinking about,"

"Is he still with the careers?" she asks me,

"No, he left them or was thrown out - I don't know which but I think he is by the river,"

"I don't know if it was the venom, but I think he saved my life, did he?"

"I didn't see from the tree I was in, but maybe he did and that is why he had to run from the careers,"

"If he did it was probably just for the act,"

"Act?" I am confused,

"You know, the act that we are in love. We have it all planned out with our mentor," she sighs and looks down towards the lake where we can just see a hint of water under the moonlight,

"So where are the careers?" she says gravely,

"I said I did not know but I have a feeling the are near the lake as well. We can never beat them Katniss, they are too strong,"

"We are strong too Rue,"

"Not like them.. they have everything, all the supplies they need to survive for weeks and once they are done killing everybody they will turn on each other,"

"Well that's the Hunger Games," she smiles,

"It sure is," I agree,

"I have a plan Rue, a plan to beat the careers,"

"Will it work?"

"Yes of course it will, I promise it will be okay," I fully trust her now so I get into her sleeping bag next to her and fall asleep almost straight away feeling fully optimistic about the outcome of the next day.

**Thank you for reading please review! **

**Rueflower7 xx**


	14. Chapter 14 - End

** Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games just my original characters**

**Enjoy reading the penultimate chapter of Rue's Story!**

I awake just before dawn and Katniss is still sleeping, I suppose she must be tired after everything she has been through so far so I leave her to continue resting and go to try and find some food for breakfast. This time of day is perfect, the birds are singing and the sun can just about be seen over the horizon - I hope to see many more of these sunrises. Because the current time and place would be useful for somebody to jump out on me, I don't want to stray far from Katniss but I manage to get far enough away without stopping being able to see her to find some large eggs, I think that they are safe but I can't be sure. Once I return to the clearing I hear a sudden boom of a cannon which wakes Katniss at once,

"Who could that be?" she says as she slowly wakes up from her sleep

"Anyone who is left I suppose which is the boy from District One, both from Two, Thresh, the boy from three, Peeta, the boy from Ten and us," we both know that there is one more person but I cannot remember her District, "I found some eggs for us to eat for breakfast - and I think they are safe,"

"Great!" Katniss replies and I hand one to her not willing to risk cooking them because if that was another death then it is pretty likely the careers have recovered from their near miss with the bees and are ready to continue playing. We eat our eggs quickly and quietly with the leftover meat from last night, they are not very nice raw but they will fill us up for today,

"So Rue, are you ready?" Katniss asks and I am confused, but I will do what ever she says,

"Ready for what?" I ask,

"Ready to destroy the careers' food?" this is shocking but I am very excited to do it and to stop those careers from winning the games when it could be someone who really deserves it like me or Katniss,

"Really? How?"

"No idea yet," she tells me, "But I am sure we can discuss it whilst we hunt.

I am useless at hunting but we use the time well anyway as I tell Katniss everything about the careers' base by the lake which I saw one night when she was sleeping. I only saw it very briefly but it was simple enough with the huge pile of supplies and the boy from Three guarding it closely so that they do not kill him.

"So is the food simply out in the open?"

"Yes it is and the boy seems barely armed,"

"Strange," she says and I agree. We dig for roots and berries and I tell her about mother and Willow and she tells me about Prim, her sister whom she volunteered for to come to the games. I told her how nobody volunteered for me which surprised her as she would have,

"I like to sing at home, when I am with Willow or sometimes when I am up in the trees with the mockingjays - which is the reason I love your pin,"

"Really? You have mockingjays?"

"Yes, we have them all over Eleven and when I sing to them they sing back,"

"What do you mean," she says,

"When I am in the highest branches of the tallest trees I sing a special song to them," I open my mouth and sing the four note tune I have not sung for a very long time, "They ca be dangerous, but I still think they are wonderful,"

"Here," Katniss unclasps her pin, "Have this, it will mean more to you than me,"

"Oh no I couldn't; that is the reason I trusted you in the first place and besides, I like seeing it on you. I have this anyway," I pull out the necklace I got from Willow and show it to Katniss, "My sister gave it to me," I tell her, "It is a good luck charm,"

We continue finding bits and pieces and discussing a plan which is finalised by lunch and we are ready to depart by the afternoon. I will light three campfires in turn to beckon the careers away from the supplies whilst Katniss goes to destroy them. We will meet back where we first met for dinner. Before we separate I teach her the mockingjay call and say, "When you hear the mockingjays sing it means that I a okay but I just cannot come quite yet,"

"There are mockingjays here?" she asks,

"Hundreds," I reply, I hug her and she hugs me back,

"See you for dinner if everything works and goes to plan she says,"

"Be careful," I say,

"And you," with that, we go.

I walk for about half a kilometre and it is getting darker now so it is harder for me to see where I am. With me is all of the wood I need for the first campfire and light the pile of wood just until the smoke from the orange flame has gone above the tree tops. Voices are coming from the lake and so are footsteps so I know that they have seen the fire and are on their way. I must make a move fast or they will catch me so I run in another direction for a while until I reach a clearing similar to the one I was in with Katniss but in another area of the woods. This looks like the perfect place to light a fire. As I prepare the wood it starts to rain so I doubt I will be able to actually light it until it stops but I will be okay as I am now very far away from the first fire. It takes almost an hour I think for the rain to stop and the wood to dry but it seems like much longer, I finally light it into orange flames but as the wind blows towards me so does the smoke and before I know what is going on I am on the floor and there is darkness. Maybe this is death, maybe this is what it is like to die? The smoke is in my lungs and I can feel no more.

Suddenly my eyes snap open and I realise that I am no longer in the clearing with the fire but somewhere else near to Katniss and it is morning, it takes me only a matter of seconds to realise all of that but as soon as I have I realise that I am tangled up in a net. I have been trapped! But who by? My question is soon answered when the District One boy looms above me with a spear and I scream and scream - struggling to escape. Katniss appears at the enterance to the clearing and I reach out of the net,

"Katniss!" I scream, then the spear is plunged into my body.

Katniss has shot the boy in the neck and runs over to me,

"Are there any more Rue? Are there anymore?"

"No," I reply quietly with tears streaming down my face because of the agonising pain. "Did you blow up the food," I wheeze,

"Every last bit," she says,

"You have to win Katniss,"

"I will, for both of us,"

A cannon goes but it is not for me but for the boy from District One, mine will be following soon after though,

"Don't go," I hold her hand tightly,

"Of course Rue. I'm not going anywhere,"

The final word I can utter before it hurts too much to speak is, "Sing," Katniss hesitates for a moment but then begins to sing a beautiful lullaby,

_Deep in the meadow, under the willow_

_A bed of grass, a soft green pillow_

_Lay down your head, and close your sleepy eyes_

_And when again they open, the sun will rise._

_Here it's safe, here it's warm_

_Here the daisies guard you from every harm_

_Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true_

_Here is the place where I love you._

_Deep in the meadow, hidden far away_

_A cloak of leaves, a moonbeam ray_

_Forget your woes and let your troubles lay_

_And when again it's morning, they'll wash away._

_Here it's safe and here it's warm_

_And here the daisies guard you from every harm_

My eyelids shut and I think of mother and Willow, how they are watching me fade away before their eyes, I think of Katniss and how she wishes she could have saved me. I want to cry but I have no breathe left to do anything but listen to the final line of her song.

_And here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true_

_Here is the place where I love you._

**A/N: *sob-sob* **

**This was a very difficult chapter to write because I really did not want to kill Rue off as I have become even more fond of her than I already was. Please review it would mean the world to me if you can tell me what you think of this story and there will be one more chapter after this which is a letter from her sister. I may write a sequel about Willow when she is older, should I?**

**Thanks for reading,**

**Rueflower7 xx**


	15. Epilogue - Dear Rue

Five years later.. about three years after the events of Mockingjay

Dear Rue,

Much has changed since you were died in The Games and it is for the better too, Katniss came to visit us last week and she was really nice to me so I can see why you liked her. Mother wouldn't let me watch The Games but I don't think I really would have wanted to anyway because I remember how much she was crying when the picture of you covered in flowers was aired live. I suppose I had better tell you what has been going on since then but it is quite a lot..

Katniss won The Hunger Games and she did it for you, but Peeta won too so they were joint winners, then they came to visit us on their victory tour and we had to stand on a platform to listen to her speech about how she had tried to save you but couldn't. I believed her as she was holding back tears but mother still suspected it was her plan to win all along. If she'd had an option she would have let you win anyway. After that things were quiet until the Quarter Quell when people had to be reaped from its pool of existing victors - So Katniss went back to the arena with Peeta and so did Chaff and Seeder, but they did not survive. Katniss and Peeta did and so did a couple of others but most of them were captured, including Peeta, and taken to The Capitol. After that everything changed and it was scary because the peacekeepers were shooting at everybody, we left - Me, mother, Juniper and her children - to find a safe place where we could spend time until everything had been sorted out. But mother got shot in the leg whilst we ran away but she got better - she cannot walk at the moment but she will be able to soon. Juniper is helping me learn all of the names of plants and things so that I can help people like she does, when Katniss came she told me her sister wanted to be a doctor and I think I would like to do that too. Her sister died during the time we were hiding, the real name for that time was the rebellion.

The rebellion was Katniss and other people from District 13, which does exist, overthrowing President Snow to make a better Panem for all of us. It worked! So now we are safe like you always wanted us to be and I shall never have to go to The Hunger Games. My birthday was last week, but you knew that, and I still have my mouse called Rue who managed to survive even when we had to leave the house to go and hide. I know it seems like we have had a difficult time since you have been gone but the only time I had trouble managing through was when your body was sent back to us in the wooden box just like Tansy's was and we had to go and burry you next to her and father's graves on Hyacinth Plain, but now we call it the hill of remembrance. Father was part of the rebellion fro the start but he was found out early on and killed just like the many other people who believed that The Hunger Games were wrong and peace could be properly achieved without The Capitol.

Katniss cried when we took her to see your grave as she remembered her short time with you so clearly and wished things could have turned out differently, we do not blame her for your death because the look of fear in her eyes was too hard to bare when she thought mother was going to be angry with her when she arrived. Although she was nice to me and sang me a lullaby to help me sleep every night during her visit, she was sad. She missed you and the orchards reminded her of how you had met and how you saved her life at one point in The Games. We have suffered great losses in our family but we know that you were brave until the end so I will never stop thinking of you Rue and I will never forget you.

Though you may never receive this letter I hope that you are watching us so you know how I feel, I miss you Rue! I miss you so much and life will never be the same without your smile and your laughter whenever I showed you anything I had found as that small child I was when you first left. You told me you would com back for me whatever happened so I was very confused when mother told me you would not be coming back, now I understand that it was not your decision to make and that you tried your hardest for the both of us. Don't worry about me - I will be happy again once the hole in my heart is filled with happy memories of our time together.

When you left I was only four but now I am nine and I try understand how you felt when you had to leave Eleven but it is hard to do because i know how much you tried to help me and mother to have good lives. Every night before I sleep I think of you but I know you would tell me to think happy thoughts and to focus on the future rather than the past. My hair has grown beyond my waist now and I am getting really good at climbing - I work in the orchards like you did with Aspen, the boy whom Thresh volunteered for. I also know your Mockingjay song, Katniss told me. How are you getting on? Have you met Katniss's sister Prim? You were the same age I think, speaking of Thresh, he saved Katniss's life in The Games when Clove was about to kill her and then spared her life just because of you, you are a hero Rue and you always will be.

You are a hero to all of Panem who saw Katniss as inspiration to find a better life as you inspired Katniss. You are a hero to her. A hero to your family. Hero to me,

Your forever loving and remembering sister,

Willow xx

-End-

**A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who has read to the end of my first ever fan fiction and thank you to all of the people who reviewed. I am still hoping for more reviews on this story because I would like to ****know if I should write a story about Willow now. I will although definitely be starting a next generation Harry Potter story following my onshot Narcissa - The Real Story which will be about Scorpius being a Gryffindor so please take a look at that. If I don't update any stories for a while then that is because it is Christmas but I shall try my best depending on whether my stories get any more reviews. I have really enjoyed writing this story so I hope that you all enjoyed reading it,**

**Rueflower7 xx**


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